Category: Psalm

[134:1] Come, praise the Lord, all his servants, all who serve in his Temple at night.

[134:2] Raise your hands in prayer in the Temple, and praise the Lord!

[134:3] May the Lord, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Zion!

[135:1] Praise the Lord! Praise his name, you servants of the Lord,

[135:2] who stand in the Lord's house, in the Temple of our God.

[135:3] Praise the Lord, because he is good; sing praises to his name, because he is kind.

[135:4] He chose Jacob for himself, the people of Israel for his own.

[135:5] I know that our Lord is great, greater than all the gods.

[135:6] He does whatever he wishes in heaven and on earth, in the seas and in the depths below.

[135:7] He brings storm clouds from the ends of the earth; he makes lightning for the storms, and he brings out the wind from his storeroom.

[135:8] In Egypt he killed all the first-born of people and animals alike.

[135:9] There he performed miracles and wonders to punish the king and all his officials.

[135:10] He destroyed many nations and killed powerful kings:

[135:11] Sihon, king of the Amorites, Og, king of Bashan, and all the kings in Canaan.

[135:12] He gave their lands to his people; he gave them to Israel.

[135:13] Lord, you will always be proclaimed as God; all generations will remember you.

[135:14] The Lord will defend his people; he will take pity on his servants.

[135:15] The gods of the nations are made of silver and gold; they are formed by human hands.

[135:16] They have mouths, but cannot speak, and eyes, but cannot see.

[135:17] They have ears, but cannot hear; they are not even able to breathe.

[135:18] May all who made them and who trust in them become like the idols they have made!

[135:19] Praise the Lord, people of Israel; praise him, you priests of God!

[135:20] Praise the Lord, you Levites; praise him, all you that worship him!

[135:21] Praise the Lord in Zion, in Jerusalem, his home. Praise the Lord!

[136:1] Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good; his love is eternal.

[136:2] Give thanks to the greatest of all gods; his love is eternal.

[136:3] Give thanks to the mightiest of all lords; his love is eternal.

[136:4] He alone performs great miracles; his love is eternal.

[136:5] By his wisdom he made the heavens; his love is eternal;

[136:6] he built the earth on the deep waters; his love is eternal.

[136:7] He made the sun and the moon; his love is eternal;

[136:8] the sun to rule over the day; his love is eternal;

[136:9] the moon and the stars to rule over the night; his love is eternal.

[136:10] He killed the first-born sons of the Egyptians; his love is eternal.

[136:11] He led the people of Israel out of Egypt; his love is eternal;

[136:12] with his strong hand, his powerful arm; his love is eternal.

[136:13] He divided the Red Sea; his love is eternal;

[136:14] he led his people through it; his love is eternal;

[136:15] but he drowned the king of Egypt and his army; his love is eternal.

[136:16] He led his people through the desert; his love is eternal.

[136:17] He killed powerful kings; his love is eternal;

[136:18] he killed famous kings; his love is eternal;

[136:19] Sihon, king of the Amorites; his love is eternal;

[136:20] and Og, king of Bashan; his love is eternal.

[136:21] He gave their lands to his people; his love is eternal;

[136:22] he gave them to Israel, his servant; his love is eternal.

[136:23] He did not forget us when we were defeated; his love is eternal;

[136:24] he freed us from our enemies; his love is eternal.

[136:25] He gives food to every living creature; his love is eternal.

[136:26] Give thanks to the God of heaven; his love is eternal.

[137:1] By the rivers of Babylon we sat down; there we wept when we remembered Zion.

[137:2] On the willows near by we hung up our harps.

[137:3] Those who captured us told us to sing; they told us to entertain them: “Sing us a song about Zion.”

[137:4] How can we sing a song to the Lord in a foreign land?

[137:5] May I never be able to play the harp again if I forget you, Jerusalem!

[137:6] May I never be able to sing again if I do not remember you, if I do not think of you as my greatest joy!

[137:7] Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did the day Jerusalem was captured. Remember how they kept saying, “Tear it down to the ground!”

[137:8] Babylon, you will be destroyed. Happy are those who pay you back for what you have done to us—

[137:9] who take your babies and smash them against a rock.

[138:1] I thank you, Lord, with all my heart; I sing praise to you before the gods.

[138:2] I face your holy Temple, bow down, and praise your name because of your constant love and faithfulness, because you have shown that your name and your commands are supreme.

[138:3] You answered me when I called to you; with your strength you strengthened me.

[138:4] All the kings in the world will praise you, Lord, because they have heard your promises.

[138:5] They will sing about what you have done and about your great glory.

[138:6] Even though you are so high above, you care for the lowly, and the proud cannot hide from you.

[138:7] When I am surrounded by troubles, you keep me safe. You oppose my angry enemies and save me by your power.

[138:8] You will do everything you have promised; Lord, your love is eternal. Complete the work that you have begun.

[139:1] Lord, you have examined me and you know me.

[139:2] You know everything I do; from far away you understand all my thoughts.

[139:3] You see me, whether I am working or resting; you know all my actions.

[139:4] Even before I speak, you already know what I will say.

[139:5] You are all around me on every side; you protect me with your power.

[139:6] Your knowledge of me is too deep; it is beyond my understanding.

[139:7] Where could I go to escape from you? Where could I get away from your presence?

[139:8] If I went up to heaven, you would be there; if I lay down in the world of the dead, you would be there.

[139:9] If I flew away beyond the east or lived in the farthest place in the west,

[139:10] you would be there to lead me, you would be there to help me.

[139:11] I could ask the darkness to hide me or the light around me to turn into night,

[139:12] but even darkness is not dark for you, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are the same to you.

[139:13] You created every part of me; you put me together in my mother's womb.

[139:14] I praise you because you are to be feared; all you do is strange and wonderful. I know it with all my heart.

[139:15] When my bones were being formed, carefully put together in my mother's womb, when I was growing there in secret, you knew that I was there—

[139:16] you saw me before I was born. The days allotted to me had all been recorded in your book, before any of them ever began.

[139:17] O God, how difficult I find your thoughts; how many of them there are!

[139:18] If I counted them, they would be more than the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.

[139:19] O God, how I wish you would kill the wicked! How I wish violent people would leave me alone!

[139:20] They say wicked things about you; they speak evil things against your name.

[139:21] O Lord, how I hate those who hate you! How I despise those who rebel against you!

[139:22] I hate them with a total hatred; I regard them as my enemies.

[139:23] Examine me, O God, and know my mind; test me, and discover my thoughts.

[139:24] Find out if there is any evil in me and guide me in the everlasting way.

[140:1] Save me, Lord, from evildoers; keep me safe from violent people.

[140:2] They are always plotting evil, always stirring up quarrels.

[140:3] Their tongues are like deadly snakes; their words are like a cobra's poison.

[140:4] Protect me, Lord, from the power of the wicked; keep me safe from violent people who plot my downfall.

[140:5] The proud have set a trap for me; they have laid their snares, and along the path they have set traps to catch me.

[140:6] I say to the Lord, “You are my God.” Hear my cry for help, Lord!

[140:7] My Sovereign Lord, my strong defender, you have protected me in battle.

[140:8] Lord, don't give the wicked what they want; don't let their plots succeed.

[140:9] Don't let my enemies be victorious; make their threats against me fall back on them.

[140:10] May red-hot coals fall on them; may they be thrown into a pit and never get out.

[140:11] May those who accuse others falsely not succeed; may evil overtake violent people and destroy them.

[140:12] Lord, I know that you defend the cause of the poor and the rights of the needy.

[140:13] The righteous will praise you indeed; they will live in your presence.

[141:1] I call to you, Lord; help me now! Listen to me when I call to you.

[141:2] Receive my prayer as incense, my uplifted hands as an evening sacrifice.

[141:3] Lord, place a guard at my mouth, a sentry at the door of my lips.

[141:4] Keep me from wanting to do wrong and from joining evil people in their wickedness. May I never take part in their feasts.

[141:5] Good people may punish me and rebuke me in kindness, but I will never accept honor from evil people, because I am always praying against their evil deeds.

[141:6] When their rulers are thrown down from rocky cliffs, the people will admit that my words were true.

[141:7] Like wood that is split and chopped into bits, so their bones are scattered at the edge of the grave.

[141:8] But I keep trusting in you, my Sovereign Lord. I seek your protection; don't let me die!

[141:9] Protect me from the traps they have set for me, from the snares of those evildoers.

[141:10] May the wicked fall into their own traps while I go by unharmed.

[142:1] I call to the Lord for help; I plead with him.

[142:2] I bring him all my complaints; I tell him all my troubles.

[142:3] When I am ready to give up, he knows what I should do. In the path where I walk, my enemies have hidden a trap for me.

[142:4] When I look beside me, I see that there is no one to help me, no one to protect me. No one cares for me.

[142:5] Lord, I cry to you for help; you, Lord, are my protector; you are all I want in this life.

[142:6] Listen to my cry for help, for I am sunk in despair. Save me from my enemies; they are too strong for me.

[142:7] Set me free from my distress; then in the assembly of your people I will praise you because of your goodness to me.

[143:1] Lord, hear my prayer! In your righteousness listen to my plea; answer me in your faithfulness!

[143:2] Don't put me, your servant, on trial; no one is innocent in your sight.

[143:3] My enemies have hunted me down and completely defeated me. They have put me in a dark prison, and I am like those who died long ago.

[143:4] So I am ready to give up; I am in deep despair.

[143:5] I remember the days gone by; I think about all that you have done, I bring to mind all your deeds.

[143:6] I lift up my hands to you in prayer; like dry ground my soul is thirsty for you.

[143:7] Answer me now, Lord! I have lost all hope. Don't hide yourself from me, or I will be among those who go down to the world of the dead.

[143:8] Remind me each morning of your constant love, for I put my trust in you. My prayers go up to you; show me the way I should go.

[143:9] I go to you for protection, Lord; rescue me from my enemies.

[143:10] You are my God; teach me to do your will. Be good to me, and guide me on a safe path.

[143:11] Rescue me, Lord, as you have promised; in your goodness save me from my troubles!

[143:12] Because of your love for me, kill my enemies and destroy all my oppressors, for I am your servant.